in the city of light
by BitterLiberator
Summary: AU - Really, anything could happen.


**Excuse this tardy lady of her errors and mistakes as she was too** _ **damn**_ **tired to do anything. I can totally be a drag sometimes, y'know? Enjoy.**

 **xxx**

As a child of tender years, she was showered with love, affections, and compliments by her mother, who smiled and told her daughter that she was proud of the intricate and elaborate handiwork requested by her nursery teacher. It was an assignment to express and show appreciation to the students' loved ones; Shiki vividly recalled her classmates cheered at the prospect and readily, and not to mention greedily, grabbed at whatever materials they could get their hands on in the classroom.

It was finally her turn to choose her own materials. However, crumpled papers and measly strings were the only selections left for her. No other options were open to her at all.

She didn't fall asunder nor weep to her homeroom teacher in all her misery glory. She decided to turn the tables, and embraced the thought of incorporating those poorly selected materials with her nimble fingers, gifted creativity and wild imagination _together._ She put her trust in them, and as a result of sheer determination and willpower, they became _beautiful_. Her masterpiece of a handiwork put her classmates in shame, surprised and fascinated her teacher, and lastly, left her mother beaming like the morning sun.

Shiki later realised her prowess and talents could bring designs to life and bestow happiness upon people whom she met as quick as they come and go, but it was the efforts that mattered, did it not? After all, it was her mother who fuelled her inspiration and dreams to become an accomplished seamstress. Yes, it all started with the little spark that brought delight to the goddess Shiki loved and held dearly.

Those days of triumph and exuberance were numbered when her mother descended to her knees, hands quickly met her lips, and when she was forced to reveal her palms to her daughter, blood and fear were written all over them.

It scared her. A lot.

Fear crippled her entire being and sent her crying in the corners of her room after her occasional visits to the hospital when neither school nor friends kept her busy. The plague that remained in her mother shall stay until she was broken, but it barely stopped her lips from curling into a smile, and her constant reassurances and love was her daughter's only hope and voice of reason, even though it was selfish of Shiki to think so and cling onto, but she won't deny that feeling until the day her mother would be taken away from her.

She still continued and pursued her dreams even after her mother died, and shall always do so because, yes, it all started with the very little spark that brought delight to her mother.

 **xxx**

She drew the curtains, allowing the morning light to spill in and greet her. It also gave her a breathtaking view of the ever lovely Eiffel Tower, even though it seemingly appeared to be a tiny building miles away.

Steadying herself with relaxed breaths, she closed the door behind her as she trudged along the endless hallway that housed one of the many dorms in her university. Along the way, she exchanged polite smiles with her classmates in passing who were of different descent, and somewhere inside her heart, she wished she could speak to them regardless of language barriers-she might not be the most outgoing person, but she certainly didn't want to be foreign to anyone whom she was going to be associated with someday. Good or bad.

She was too immersed in her thoughts to seek closure with everyone that she paid no heed to her surroundings, resulting in an unnecessary bump into someone and the force was more than enough to allow her to be brought down to her knees, but fortunately, she didn't skin her knees in the process. Her cheeks flushed as she tried to keep her cool, to no avail.

Gods, not only did she make a fool out of herself, but she was going to be late for her impromptu sessions, and he would definitely be ticked off if she didn't hurry any time soon. Attempting to bring herself together and get back up, a hand met her field of vision, and she was quick to realise the person she bumped into was helping her out. She decided that if she were to accept the offer so graciously, she had to face that person properly and be grateful.

As she did so, she was met with a mop of unusual orange hair accented by rebellious spikes of a man of similar descent and age as her, his impenetrable blue eyes and inexplicable profile gave little away, but Shiki didn't miss the subtle annoyance written all over his face earlier. It wasn't as if she troubled him at all, was it?

"Give me your hand," he said, curt and matter-of-factly.

Internally, she frowned. She could do it and pull herself together, but the man before her had already helped her up, much to her slight chagrin. She really needed to have him know that, despite herself, she was anything but a damself-in-distress.

Regardless, she had to remember her manners. "Ah, thank-"

Before she could reveal her gratitude, however, he had already disappeared as she noticed he sharply turned a corner.

Huh. Why the hurry?

 **xxx**

"To be utterly frank with you, dear, French isn't your strong suit at all. In fact, you aren't up to the same par as any primary Parisian kid I've ever known and encountered. No, sorry, I take that back-you are, by far, the worst student I've ever taught in my twenty-one years of existence. Not to mention, I'm extremely put off by how late you are today. Do you have any idea how long I had to wait as the hours drag on without pause?"

Listening to his harsh words, Shiki could never understand why she would befriend a man as sardonic and condescending as Joshua himself, but aside from his dreadful factors that made him whole, she has to admit that she couldn't look past his good looks and intelligence, and he always had his own way of helping out, even if it came across as antagonistic or cryptic.

"Shiki, are you even paying attention?" he jerked her of her thoughts.

"I'm really sorry for being late, Joshua," she finally said, forcing a weak smile. "I had an errand to run earlier." _What a blatant lie!_

"Hmm." he twirled the stray strands of his platinum blond hair, violet eyes staring at her. "I guess you've been busy as of late, and I know I shouldn't be hard on you about your particularly abysmal scores in regards to this country's native language-"

"Honestly, I'm well aware of that," she interrupted, colours filling her cheeks. "I'm _that_ bad."

It was mandatory for any student attending universities in France, locals or not, to speak their native language, and because her roommate and best friend didn't know squat about teaching and recommended Joshua instead (mainly because he was half-Parisian and a smarty pants), Shiki had no choice but to seek guidance and knowledge from him lest she had to fend for herself. It didn't come without a price, naturally.

Joshua nodded. "I couldn't agree more. You should see how _high_ you've done in one of the many tests I've given you." As he said this, she subconsciously noticed a towering stack of paper sat on the table ceremoniously, and Shiki briefly pondered about the many hours he had painstakingly spent to assess her results.

Ah, knowing her, it was probably as horrible as any typical delinquent's score.

"I think I know how _high_ you're going on about, _merci beaucoup_ ," she huffed.

"Ah, glad to know you've got the customary thank you down pat."

The sudden manifestation of a ringtone brought their slight banter into a screeching halt, and she took it as her cue to answer her cellphone. She mouthed 'pardon' to Joshua as she did so.

"Hello?"

"Shiki Misaki," an unrecognisable male's voice spoke, "is this whom I'm speaking with?"

… _What? Who is this guy?_

She hurriedly inspected the screen on her phone, specifically the caller ID, and was surprised to find her roommate's name and number sprawled across. Goodness, who exactly was this person? Was he that mysterious guy Eri's been bragging about lately? Or an abductor? Did her best friend carelessly misplace her phone? Maybe Shiki should reconsider the possible choices.

Also, she didn't recollect a single memory of having a conversation with any random stranger either in the downtown streets of Paris (except an event in which she had been implored by a beggar for some money or even a pittance), then again she didn't really exactly have an eidetic memory of anything at all, did she?

She decided to play dumb. "I beg your pardon?"

"If you're that person, come to _LeJeu_ right before its closing hours." Before she could reply, the call has already been killed.

 **xxx**

It was simple-all she had to do was set one foot in and she would be inside.

She debated that it was all but a moronic hoax to lure her in and would only be tricked. In the back of her head, however, Shiki cannot afford to dismiss the unexplained, bizarre phone call she had earlier as a mere joke either. Maybe Eri had to use the Ladies, and requested the enigmatic caller to invite the seamstress over to meet them personally. Yes, maybe it was something like that.

The thought cheered her significantly, and as soon as twisted the doorknob and entered, the first thing she noticed was how unusually quiet and relaxed the ambience was in comparison to its rush hours in the afternoon.

 _LeJeu_ was a prominent café bar owned by renowned entrepreneur Sir Hanekoma-a long-time acquaintance of Shiki's since their meeting in Shibuya. The business was also noted to operate seven days a week without fail, especially during the holidays, and mainly serving a variety of pastries and a range of salads in the morning and afternoon. In the evening, the entirety of the space would convert to a bar, but the option to view its menu would be plausible nonetheless. Since her arrival in Paris, Shiki has never frequented and occupied the restaurant at night but did savour many of her blissful moments in the morning and afternoon.

Owing to the fact that Joshua kept her busy with the relentless realm of language she had to endure, she was only available at night to meet the mysterious owner of the phone call, and possible Eri, wherever she was. Venturing further, she spotted a tousled mop of pink-red hair and a familiar figure in her line of vision, and was taken aback to find the particular latter to be the man whom she'd unintentionally bumped into before. He was currently standing behind the bar and had his arms crossed. Shiki then directed her eyes at the person seated across him.

Disheveled clothes and unruly locks of fading burgundy bore little to no semblance to the usually usually glamorous and stylish Eri, especially when she was visibly accompanied by the presence of drained bottles and glasses- _Wait! Are those alcohol!? Did she finish them?!-_ and, needless to say, the whole scene itself demonstrably left little to the imagination. 

_I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Right._ Now _._

"Hi, Shiki-poo," Eri slurred, a fit of giggles overcoming her. "I've. Been, _hiccup_ , wai-ting. For. You," she finished in a rhythmic tone, the alcohol sharp in her tongue.

At this sight, Shiki was rendered speechless. _Oh gods, what sorcery is this?!_

"She's had a fight with her boyfriend," the bartender said bluntly, sliding over the bar. "Since then, she's been excessively drinking until I was the only one left to care for her."

Within earshot, tears cascaded down her cheeks in a rush. "S-shiki-poo," she sniffled, her pretty face all smudged and ruined. "B-boyfriend broke me. Broke me!"

This was all too much for her to bear. If she's had much of her sanity left, Shiki would leave this place. Right now.

"I'm bringing you home." Snaking Eri's arm around the back of her neck, Shiki felt as if she was lugging the burden and weight of the world, and she struggled to keep the both of them standing. The bartender stumbled upon them just in time to catch the intoxicated woman from meeting her untimely demise onto the hard, concrete ground.

Giggling uninhibitedly, Eri wagged a free finger at him, when in all actuality, she wagged at the stool she had plopped her drunken booty on. "Ah-ah-ah, lover boy. Only Shiki-poo can touch me."

Ignoring her, he mentioned, "She's too heavy for you." _I can handle just fine! Can't he speak nicely?!_

"No, no." she shook her head, tossing a couple of bills down on the table with her free hand. "I already feel bad for delaying your time. Sorry for the trouble and thank you."

Before he could say anything, Shiki was somehow able to exit the restaurant without scrambling to the ground or grappling Eri's weight. With the way he wielded his words, there was no way in the seven hells was she she going to gravel over her knees and beg for divine assistance. En route home, the pedestrians gave not-too-discreet mortified glances at the duo, specifically Eri who was sputtering a string of incoherent and nonsensical words, accentuated by maniacal giggles.

"Shiki-poo," she said for the umpteenth time. "Let's take a bath together!"

"Sure," said Shiki absent-mindedly, famished, "after we return home."

 **xxx**

Before dawn even made an appearance, Eri woke up with a deadly hangover. It throbbed her head to the very core, and she was quick to throw up. Shiki, who was by her roommate's side throughout her slumber, rubbed small circles upon her back and exerted much effort to be unfazed by the mess Eri had made.

"Ugh." Eri messaged her temples harshly. "Stupid migraine won't go away."

"Aside from your headache, how are you feeling right now?" Shiki questioned gently, handing her a glass of water. "You had way too much to drink last night."

"Frankly, I feel like shit right now, and clearly, I've had better days." she downed her drink and frowned at her fragmented memory. She remembered being an unabashed drunkard, but not the whole story of last night.

Shiki must've read her mind. "Should I fill you in?"

"Sure, but, for starters, this stinky _mademoiselle_ needs a shower."

By the time she finished, Shiki had already discarded the grotesque sheets in favour of fresh ones, and made a warm mug of hot chocolate. Mmm, just the way Eri liked it.

"You acted all peppy and chirpy when I first saw you," she shared, a mixture of slight amusement and anxiety washed over her. "But, a few moments later, you started bawling your eyes out about, um, the fact that you, uh, well…" she has trouble ending her sentence.

Shiki's growing hesitation gradually hit Eri like a merciless tornado. One that swept her off her feet and rendered her speechless with all the overwhelming emotions.

"Ah, right," she said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "My breakup. My boyfriend, I mean-my ex-boyfriend invited me over, and told me about how our relationship was never meant to be and all the same bull and crap I've been hearing since I was in my mom's womb. That bastard dropped the break up bomb on me without a care in the world and waltzed off." A pause. "I probably vented out my anger on those poor alcohols I've wasted away." She smiled bitterly. "My romantic story of last night."

"Oh, Eri." Shiki rushed to her side, embracing her. "I'm so sorry."

"No biggie. At least, I drank with expensive taste." She winked, albeit weakly. "Speaking of last night, how did you know I was at the restaurant drinking my sorrows away?"

"Some guy who works there-and whom I've _never_ seen before-took the liberty of using your cellphone to phone me the details," she disclosed. " _Your_ cellphone, Eri! Imagine the crazy ideas that ran wild in my head! I could've passed it off as a prank call or possibly a hostage crisis!" She cringed at the onslaught of words. "I must've really worried you. Sorry, Shiki-poo."

"You called me by that hellish nickname last night, and even in front of the bartender. So embarrassing!"

A cheeky smile surfaced. "Speaking of him, he seemed pretty easy on the eyes, eh?"

" _Eri!_ "

The corners of her lips pulled downwards almost immediately as Eri drowned herself in her thoughts of other important matters far more worse than the irritated tone in the bespectacled woman's voice, which took a bitter turn in her stomach.

" _Holy shit!_ " accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream. "I left my sketchbook in _LeJeu_! If the designs aren't submitted to Madame Yashiro by tomorrow, she'd be _so_ vexed." she buried her face into her palms, moaning in despair. "Fate's out there to conspire against me. Again."

Shiki nearly dropped her spectacles, eyes wide as saucers. "How could you forget something as important as that?!"

"I must've thrown it at someone in a fit of misplaced anger. I know; we're screwed."

Silence decided to come by and visit them, the heavy thick air twisting up their insides.

"I always swing by the place, so I can go and get it. If it's still there, that is," Shiki said, effectively coming up with a solution.

Her words soothed Eri. " _Oui! Oui!_ I would expect nothing more from my dear seamstress."

"Oh, and, Eri-willy?"

"Yeah?" she hasn't heard that nickname in a quite a while.

"It's amazing how much you can hear from your mother's womb."

A smile. "No kidding."

 **xxx**

After her classes in university and French training was done for the day ( _"Mediocre,"_ said Joshua in a sing-song voice), Shiki found herself sitting in her regular seat at the same café bar at noon. A loyal and long-time regular, she recognised almost all of the members working for her favourite retail business establishment, including a few of her friends who have been recruited to work at the restaurant as well.

Of course, the bartender from yesterday wasn't taken into account.

"Let me take a wild guess." Koki Kariya was her waiter for today, taking a ginger lick of his current lollipop. "You having the usual?"

She nodded in response, and a few seconds later, she revelled in her ice-blended mocha frappuccino. Before she could ask Kariya about the sketchbook, however, he was forcibly manhandled into the kitchen ( _"Hey, Lollipop! Get your damn ass over here!"_ said Beat impatiently) to lend a helping hand. As of now, Shiki only have herself to ponder over the gravity of her situation.

Distracted by her wondering thoughts, she failed to register the presence behind her, and she jumped at the hand on her shoulder. Whirling around in a daze, a smile found its way to her firm lips as she faced the mischievous culprit.

"Hey, kiddo." Sir Hanekoma grinned. "Here for 'nother cuppa joe?"

Engaging him in one of their loquacious chatters, the story of last night managed to sneak its way in, and was more than enough to evoke a few chuckles from the man himself. He decidedly supplied her with enough information of the somewhat mysterious and passive bartender she'd chanced upon last night-Neku Sakuraba was but a mere university student like her, and spent his nights working as a bartender at LaJeu to earn himself some cash to stabilise his needs and wants in the City of Light. As of today, he would begin his shift in the afternoon as well, thanks to the booming success of the business.

"He's our latest addition in the family." Sir. H. always considered himself to father the working staffs of the restaurant he owned. "Has a bit of an attitude, but I'd give him points for getting the job done."

As he pointed at a specific direction, she could see said man carrying a tray of dangerously fragile glasses with an air of both professionalism and dread to the table reserved by a couple, whose highly spirited aura paled in comparison to his. She couldn't help but be amused.

When the rush hours have finally died down for the time being, Sir. H. signalled for Neku to come over and meet their daily customer. The moment he joined them, he was introduced and given an almighty slap at the back courtesy of his boss on a job well done. The older adult decidedly left the duo be as he had other matters to attend to, and Shiki took this opportunity to reclaim back what her best friend had forgotten.

"Is this the one?" he asked, holding the sketchbook high enough for her to see. They were in this tiny little basement that housed lost-and-found goods.

" _Oui!_ " her sudden excitement reddened her cheeks. "I m-mean, yes. That's the one. Thank you." She hastily received the item. "Oh, and, sorry about yesterday. Regarding the two incidents, which are by far coincidentally accidental-"

"Don't mention it." he didn't seem interested in the conversation. "I'm busy with work right now. Move aside."

She stared at his retreating figure, wide-eyed and jaw-slackened.

All she could think of right now was how Sir. H. failed to mention how much of a jerk that bartender was too.

 **xxx**

"I'd like the," she squinted to make sure, "Slabs of Ham, Celery and Horseradish and Tons of Asparagus please."

He was her waiter for today, much to both of their unspoken disagreement. Although Neku was being carefully discreet, Shiki didn't miss the somewhat appalled look he'd donned at the ridiculously-named dishes she'd ordered. Was he always like this at work?

She couldn't help but gave him an unattractive frown. "Can't you keep your unwanted opinions to yourself?"

His eyes widened slightly at her little outburst, but he remained collected. "At least I'm observant, unlike a certain someone." Both of them were aware that he was referring to the slight mishap they had over the past few weeks. She already apologised about it, but she had come to the conclusion that he probably couldn't look past it immediately. By all means, she felt the urge to slap him senseless. "Do you hate me?"

"Not really," A pause. "You started it."

Okay, he's got a point there. Maybe she overanalysed the situation a little, even if he did come across as an intransigent and unapologetically emo-looking jackass. She did have a fair share of her own bad qualities as well.

"You're right." she sighed. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that. It's just that you don't seem to take a shine to me. That's all."

He raised a brow. Was she always on edge? "I think it's just you," was all he said, and he left.

She blinked. _What?_

Moments later, he brought her food to the table, the colourful salads instantly brightened up her mood. Before she could enjoy her meal, however, the waiter has yet to take his leave. In response, she turned to look at him.

"Y-yes?"

"Minamimoto came up with the name, by the way," offered.

Oh, that mathematician wannabe dude, she thought, that would explain the unorthodox name.

… _Wait. Is he trying to apologise?_

He was already gone before she could say _merci beaccoup_.

 **xxx**

She should've known it was a big mistake to talk some sense into the drunken man who was seated next to her.

Reminiscing fragments of Eri's drunk episode, Shiki figured that she'd be of help if the drunkard wouldn't suffer the same predicament just like her best friend had gone through. She's seen him come and go every so often, probably a regular just like her. He went by the name of Yodai Higashizawa-ginormous, bulky, and probably scary on the inside as well. Unfortunately, Shiki has always been on the side of justice to care either way.

" _M-monsieur_ ," Shiki began nervously, "I think you should stop drinking and take a breather." He didn't pause at his drinking, but he laid his bloodshot eyes on her. She could've sworn that they were almost staring into her soul.

"Heh. You look cute. I like you already," he garbled. The blood flowing through her veins suddenly froze.

She quickly backed away, knocking her own stool in the process. He inched slowly but surely towards her, hands leaving the whiskey bottle. The trail of giggles that escaped from his demented grin screamed a mixture of murder and kill. The whole that played out before her spelled trouble, and it was already brewing.

He shoved his malicious countenance closer to her, the breath of alcohol almost drowned her in misery. She started to flail her hands and push him away in a failed attempt, but as luck would have it, Yodai suddenly dropped to his knees, wincing in pain. Shiki couldn't believe her eyes as she stared her liberator.

Neku had managed to get himself in between them and was busily engaged in a submission hold, practically rendering the drunkard immobile. There was a sharp intake of breath; Shiki was too distracted by the earlier incident that she forgot to breathe.

"Shiki," he said-she'd like him to repeat it again. "You alright?"

Shell-shocked, she could only nod. He must've been trained in situations such as this one because she's never seen someone as fit and slim as him to subdue a towering man such as the drunkard himself. In the corner of her eyes, she could see a hint of muscles peeking out of his rolled sleeves, and her cheeks burned crimson at the sight.

Chasing those thoughts away, she finally managed to find her voice. "T-thank you, Neku." It sounded so foreign when his name tumbled out of her lips. "You're stronger than I'd expected."

"What?" He blinked.

 _Ah, there goes my mouth again!_

 **xxx**

Weekends meant spending quality time in your own room without having annoying French lessons with someone who was somewhat reluctant to teach. Basically, weekends meant Shiki could actually show her true, embarrassing colours, and embody the meaning of being a lackadaisical. Sprawling on the bed was one of the best things she's done and ever accomplished.

"Okay, girl." Eri instantaneously barged into her room, making herself at home. "Spill the details. Everything. _Now_."

Damn, she ruined the moment.

Shiki gave her a questioning glance. "I don't think I'm following you." "Of course you are! You never had the gall to tell your own best friend, me," she emphasised, a hand on her chest, "that you've been having a thing with him."

Okay, she _was_ definitely not following. "With whom?"

" _Him_!" Eri practically growled. "The guy whom I've made a fool of myself at the bar."

It took a lot of processing and thinking and analysing and everything-she could practically see the gears spinning and turning inside the back of her head-and it quickly made sense to Shiki. Except it wasn't the truth.

Just because rumours spread rapidly like wildfire about the slight bar fight which has happened for the past few days, it didn't contribute to the fact that more-than-platonic relationships could happen merely a waiter was helping a customer out from a tipsy dipshit.

Yes, Yodai Higashizawa was officially known as a tipsy dipshit. In her head, anyways.

"Gods, _non._ You've totally misunderstood." Shiki sighed, rubbing the left side of her arm. "Neku was just kind enough to get me out of that horrendous dilemma. You should've seen it yourself."

"Mmm, already calling him on a first-name basis, huh?" She grinned. "I don't think I need to see it 'cause it's a problem I can relate myself to."

She decided to make a reference of _that_ day. "No kidding."

 **xxx**

Three weeks have passed, and admittedly, it's been a while since Shiki witnessed a heated squabble.

"What do you mean it's not available?" A customer angrily slammed a fist down to the table, eliciting a surprised shriek from one of the many diners in the restaurant. Closely seated to his table was a toddler, whose cries yearned for its mother's presence and comfort.

"It is exactly what I mean," the young blond woman said, her calmness belied her youthful appearance. "I'm sorry _monsieur_ , but you're going to have to order something else."

"What if I happened to decline your oh-so generous offer, _madamoiselle_?"

"Then here is a word to the wise: place a reservation beforehand or come back another time when it's _actually_ available." She then turned on her heels to attend to other important matters.

The polite statement did little to quell his wrath, and as he was about to make a grab for her in retaliation, the infuriated patron felt a smash at the back of his head-more like on, really-and the restaurant in his eyes began to swirl like spinning cups from the amusement park-going dizzy, dizzy, _dizzy_ -and his surroundings started to fade to black, darkness consuming the state of his mind. The ground quaked for a moment, and to everyone's wonderment, he was out cold. All eyes were on the shattered fragments littered not too far from the man who has met his downfall.

Although the madman has lost consciousness, someone was too caught up in his own anger.

"Leave Rhyme outta this, yo!" Beat yelled as he balled his hands into white fists, which were stained with a trail of blood.

Kariya and Minamimoto hoisted the man up and brought him into the 'staffs' only' room while Rhyme struggled to pacify the anger of her brother. If there was one thing that would distinguish Beat from the others, it was probably his unconditional love for his precious sister. Remnants of the staffs maintained order in the restaurant and continued minding their own business.

As Rhyme walked away from the catastrophic scene, Shiki took it upon herself to run to her side and console her.

"Rhyme, are you okay?" Anxiety filled her vision. "He nearly got you good."

"I'm alright, thanks." she offered a smile. "It was my fault for not been tactical in my approach in the first place. If you'll excuse me." She retreated into the room where Beat has disappeared off to too, probably to patch up his injury.

"She'll be fine." she looked up to the owner of the voice. "Just like you, Rhyme's not someone to be taken lightly." Somehow, Neku's words put her at ease.

 **xxx**

He gazed at her, somewhat satisfied. "As much as it pains me to say this, but you've improved. Well done."

"Really?" her eyes lit up.

"It's not much of a stellar result so don't get your hopes up too much, dear." A smirk surfaced on the corner of his lips, slightly unnerving her. "The fun's yet to begin."

Refraining herself from groaning, she was told to open up a specific page of her monstrously gigantic French language guidebook and start off from there. As she penned down the important tidbits on her notebook, she unexpectedly caught a glimpse of that faraway look across Joshua's features that told Shiki he was thinking about something as he glanced at the vacant bed next to his own at the uttermost corner. Strange, he was always one to wear his heart on his cheeks, not on his sleeves.

"Come to think of it, I've never seen your roommate before." The words materialised before she could think twice.

Joshua darted a look at her. "Shiki?"

"You should let me in!" She stood up on her feet and furrowed her brows, determination coursing through her veins. "Tell me what you're thinking!"

After a beat, he laughed. Not the harsh, evil cackle he'd always shown to others. A _sincere_ laugh.

Shiki was torn between flushing and frowning, already on the edge of having a mental breakdown. "Joshua, I'm _being_ serious here!"

"I know." he's finally stopped. "Concerning your curiosity, my dearest roommate just doesn't have the time to be around here. Unlike you and Eri, we don't hold hands and dance circles to 'Kumbaya'." "You're kidding about that last part, right? Eri and I actually don't normally-"

"And neither do we." she could see _something_ in his pretty but distant eyes, the spiralling memories of sentiments he must've gone through with his roommate. "Now, does that answer your question?"

She was beginning to understand that she was treading on mighty thin ice. Even Joshua has had his own fair share of stories he was unwilling to reveal.

 **xxx**

"Sorry for the zetta slow wait!"

Business in _LeJeu_ has been progressively busy lately, and although her food hasn't arrived for the past thirty minutes, Shiki felt pretty sympathetic towards customers of similar situations. Their patience was beginning to run thin, and some have already made their way out of the restaurant. If the problem kept up any longer, the restaurant would start to garner dislikable looks and uninvited criticisms from their valuable patrons.

"Hey, Shooter," Amidst the sea of people and footsteps, Shiki called out to one of the closest waiter in her perimeter-he was holding an awful lot of dishes on his already unstable tray. "Any chance of having one of those spare uniforms?" The young adult looked astounded. "I guess so. Why?" His question went unanswered as she made a mad dash towards the 'staffs' only' room, only to emerge with a different change of outfit in favour of the restaurant's uniform in a matter of seconds. Her footfalls led her to the bar, where she could see _him_ gawking at her.

"Which table does this order belong to?" she asked as casually as possible, snatching the tray of drinks from Neku's hand.

"What on earth are you doing?" Shiki could see the confusion in his eyes. "And what's with the getup-"

"Look around you." she gestured to the current ambience of the restaurant, the patrons with somewhat cross looks on their facial features. "I can't just sit down and watch helplessly from afar while you guys struggle to keep up with the orders and everything."

There was a beat of silence as he absorbed her words thoroughly, and although he was quiet, the conflicted look that bloomed across his mien has said it all. "You're _impossible_." he sighed, but didn't bother to hide that subtle smile of his.

 **xxx**

 _I'm still interested in tasting his thoughts._

It wasn't as if she was inquisitive or anything-okay, she conceded, she _was_ -but she had to know a thing or two about Joshua, especially when he has all his inner thoughts to himself. Cheeky bastard, he was.

"Are you done with that?" he extended a hand towards her, particularly the blank paper she was supposed to fill in. "I wasn't aware daydreaming plays a part in our unscheduled appointment, dear."

 _Stop burning, cheeks!_ "Just let me get my head around this… question."

"Oh?" he arched a delicate brow. "I already drilled it into your head before, did I not?" At this rate, she wouldn't be able to concentrate. "Sorry, I remember I had something to do earlier. Slip of a memory." She speedily shoved her drafting pencils and notepads and everything inside her bag. "I'll notify you of the days when I'm available. Sorry." she couldn't stop apologising, and her hand was just about to twist the doorknob when someone from the outside had already opened the door, which nearly broke her nose as it crashed into her face.

"Shiki?!" Joshua surged to his feet and helped her to her feet, shaking his head tiredly. "Goodness gracious, your face's all red. Wait here."

She mentally kicked herself. _You're so stupid, Shiki_ was all that screamed in her mind. As she was about to throw a threatening glare at the person who opened the door, she was taken aback to find herself staring at the man she had been acquainted with all her life in Paris.

"Neku?"

"Shiki?" his face spoke for the way she felt too.

"Are the both of you familiar with each other?" All eyes was on the man who appeared with a first-aid kit. He approached them smoothly, as if it was a natural occurrence.

"Does this answer your question, Shiki?" Joshua asked enigmatically as he tend to her. "He's my roommate."

 _Am I still asleep in my room? Can someone pinch me, please?_

She lost all grip of reality, and the last thing she heard was the shout of her name.

 **xxx**

She had been too engaged drawing sketches of design in her notepad to realise the restaurant was closing; the staffs were scrubbing the tables clean and arranging the chairs and stools and tables neatly. Some were seeing their valuable customers off at the entrance with a tired but friendly smile.

Except her.

"Hey, Shiki." Neku waved a frustrated hand, bringing her back to reality. "Keep this up and we're going to leave you behind."

Shiki snapped her head towards the direction of the hanging clock behind the bar. It was almost past midnight. "Ah, crap." She stood up, cramming her belongings into her bag. "I didn't think it was this late."

Before she could make a quick run for the entrance, she was stopped by the hand on her arm. "It's dangerous for someone like you to walk alone at this hour," he said. "'sides, we're headed for the same place."

Dazed, she nodded and waited for him to pack his own things up. They parted ways with and bade farewell to their fellow friends, and tried for the downtown streets on the way home.

"I still can't believe you're Joshua's roommate," said Shiki, shattering the silence that hung in the air between them. She hated to be the one to initiate conversations, but he was no better either. "What a small world."

"Me either," he mumbled. She didn't catch his drift but didn't prompt him any further.

The silence came back again as soon as he finished, and she lost herself in the dark void of the night sprinkled with glitters, giving a good contrast of the sky. Somehow, it gave her imaginative mind a ton of ideas to come up with designs for her latest assignment, and unbeknownst to the bespectacled woman, her hand was already snaking its way inside her bag for her sketchbook. She couldn't simply wait any longer.

"You design clothes, right?" she turned to him in shock, but he found the stars in the sky to be much more interesting.

"Y-yes!" her eyes sparkled with joy, and he felt invigorated. "But, designing is Eri's forte. Let's just say I'm best at being a seamstress. It's always been my dream, y'know?" she babbled endlessly-her late mother, her dreams, _everything_. It was too much for the waiter to catch up but he didn't find the whole notion annoying, and allowed her to continue for the sake of her dreams. When she finally stopped and urged him to be open-minded of his own ambition, it didn't really tackle her by surprise to find out he was taking a course in psychology; he claimed that the whole process was fascinating but abruptly paused and flushed because, let's be honest, he wasn't the type to reveal his feelings in a single beat.

Eventually, they reached the dorms, and for reasons unknown, their arrival home left a bitter taste in Shiki's lips- _why do I feel upset?_

"See you tomorrow?" It came out more as a question than a statement.

He looked thoughtful. "Yeah. See you." he lifted a hand in the air as he made his way towards the endless hallway.

Forcing herself to get to her own room, Shiki recalled the moment with unparalleled fondness when he grabbed her arm just so they could walk home together. Even though it was but a mere figment of her memory, it still burned at his touch.

 **xxx**

Shiki made herself comfortable and felt at ease as she waited for her order, and behind the bar, he slid the drink towards her.

"It's on the house," he suddenly said. "Payback for your contribution the other day."

"W-what?!" she nearly gagged. "No, I could never-"

"Everyone insisted, and so did I." he placed a palm on the back of her hand in the spur of the moment. "Just accept the goddamn drink, okay?" She internally squeaked at the unexpected contact. He wasn't oblivious either as he quickly retracted his hand from hers, stretching his neck awkwardly. A cough. "Duty calls." he hurriedly grabbed a tray and served the already prepared meals by the side of the bar.

"Oi, Rhyme, I'ma win this _shit_!" the loud voice behind the bar caught her attention. "Beat," a reprimanding voice, "there's children posing as customers too. Don't forget that."

"Hey, for once, I think Beat's right." A pause. "Maybe I'm getting a little too old for this kinda _shit_ too."

" _Kariya!_ " her usual soothing voice manifested into a harsh whisper. "remember the children!"

"Guys," Shiki gave a questioning glance, their conversation piquing her curiosity. "What are you going on about?"

"Shiki!" Beat yelled-she could already see he was sweating pinballs now. "Don't sweat it, yeah? It ain't actually about you and 'Phones becoming an ite- _baauuurghhhh_!" his reply was muffled by the hand on his lips.

'Phones? Wasn't that Neku's nickname? She's never seen such a tight smile from Rhyme. "I-it's nothing for you to worry about, Shiki! Beat's being, y'know, upbeat…" _she can't even finish her own sentence?!_

Okay, was anyone sane enough to tell her what was the matter?

"We're just having a bet," To her surprise, Kariya decided to spill the beans. "Y'know, to see whether you and Neku'd shack up by the end of the week."

 _Oh… WHAAAAAT?!_

"N-n-n-n- _no_!" Anyone could see she was blushing from head to toe. "W-w-we're just wonderful f-friends!"

As Kariya has sneakily escaped from the scene and Beat decidedly pitched in to say, "Twenty bucks they gon' be together!" enthusiastically, Rhyme could only put a tired hand over her eyes.

This was going to be a _long_ day.

 **xxx**

Unable to keep her surprise, she blurted, "It's _closed_?!"

He refrained from rolling his eyes at her loud response. "Yeah. What's the big deal?"

"I wanted to try out this recent dish-the one whatever name Minamimoto came out with-but it's so popular I could barely get my hands on one these past few days." She pouted. "Can't you relate to my problem and find it annoying?"

No, but he felt her insistence and borderline obsession for that particular dish was.

"Well, too bad. You'll have to wait 'til next week."

According to Neku, Sir. H. seemed really keen on taking a vacation, and because he felt that it was unfair for the remnants of the staffs to work while he was out of the country, he generously declared the restaurant to be closed until his return. Now that she thought carefully, it was no wonder that Neku was lounging around in the room he and Joshua shared.

"Why are you even here in the first place?" "Because," she stacked the papers accordingly into a neat pile on the desk, "my French sucks-well, not as much as before-so Joshua's being a gentleman to teach me, unlike a certain someone."

"Joshua's not going to be here today."

The remaining papers in her hands drifted to the mahogany ground-a perfect disorder. She groaned as she bent down to pick up the scattered pieces. He helped make her job a whole lot easier as he gathered most of them up. "Here." She was careful not to stare into his eyes. "Oh, thanks."

What was she going to do now? She couldn't exactly leave the room on the spot; she's come so far to give up hope. The gears in her head started to spin and produced one of the most ridiculous ideas ever.

"Could you take his place and teach me instead?"

His eyes grew wide. " _Huh_?!"

"Please." There was that earnest look in her eyes that he can't find it in himself to decline. "Just for today? I'll make it up to you too."

A groan. He wasn't the most brilliant teacher ever, but his French wasn't half-bad. "…Fine."

As he laid out the plans and instructions for her to bear in mind and remember, she diligently jotted down the details in her once-again trustworthy notepad of hers. Finishing her current work and swelling with pride, Neku began to leaf through the pages of one of the many French textbooks, and commenced his very first lesson. His eyes trailed down the passage above the questions, and he parted his lips to speak the motherland's language. Shiki never felt so starstruck in her life. If she didn't know him very well enough, she could've mistaken him for a typical Parisian. _What a perfect accent!_

He stopped. "…You don't understand me?"

"No, no." she shook her head rapidly. "I'm just impressed. That's all."

He was relieved to know that Shiki understood the meaning behind the passage. Her resolute hands answered the questions written at the end of the passage, and she victoriously triumphed today's challenge. Maybe he was going easy on her, but it didn't really matter. As there was nothing much to be done, Shiki felt strangely inspired to work on some designs from scratch. Now if she could only search for her phone to locate her roommate…

"I'd like my reward now, if you don't mind." For some reason, he looked rather sheepish today. What happened _now_?

"Well," she started, oddly feeling nervous herself, "let's hope I have it somewhere in my bag or something. Name it."

There was a silence settling between them, stretching for miles. She was still patiently waiting for his answer as he gave her an unreadable look.

"… _ser."_ it came out like an inaudible whisper.

"Come again?" she urged him.

The tips of his ears were growing red. " _Embrasser._ "

She blinked. _Embrasser?_ If her memory served her right, it meant…

 _To kiss._

She slapped both palms to each cheek, trying to keep the rising temperature at bay, to no avail. _Ugh, stop burning, cheeks!_

She was too caught up in her own embarrassment to give a response, and Neku seemed to take it the wrong way. "Okay, I understand." He was already standing on his feet, almost ready to cross the length of the room to the door. "I completely understand-"

If possible, she flushed harder. "No," a smile snuck its way to her lips, " _you_ don't understand."

She stood on her toes and granted his wish.

 **xxx**

 **I thought 'sir' was much more fitting because of the location itself lol (shoot myself). Since I've painstakingly finished a barrage of mathematical questions, I might as well be useful. Sorry if the story wasn't well-paced and seemed rushed; I know. Do share your thoughts, good or bad. xxx**


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